Plate Armour

Having recently watched a short documentary which included a gentleman describing how he wore his greaves on his shoulders, I felt it important to assemble a simple glossary for medieval armour.

Helm – encompassing either the whole, or the majority of the head, but does not include a moveable visor.

Helmet – a Helm equipped with a moveable visor, e.g. a pig faced bascinet.

Kettle Helm – a wide brimmed simple helmet, often mass produced for foot soldiers.

Barbutte – a partially open faced helm worn over a coif.

Bascinet – an open faced helm

Coif – a head protector like a chain mail balaclava helmet

Arming cap – worn beneath the coif, made of two layers of linen with padding between.

Sallet – a visored helmet worn over above a bevor.

Bevor – a chin and neck protector, shielding the lower half of the face.

Gorge or Gorge plate – protecting the neck and upper part of the collar bones between bevor and pauldron/cuirass.

Cuirass – a breast plate, usually part of a breast and back plate combination.

Brigandine – chest and back armour made of cloth with metal inserts riveted into place, worn in place of a cuirass.

Pauldron – shoulder armour, protecting the area from the upper arm to the gorge plate.

Besagew – These are circular plates hung below the Pauldrons which block blows to the vulnerable armpit area on the body

Rerebrace – (or upper canon of the vambrance) protecting the upper arm.

Couter – elbow protection linking rerebrace and vambrance together.

Vambrance – (or lower canon of the vambrance) protecting the forearm down to the wrist.

Gauntlet – protecting the hand and comprising either a fingered or mitten styles.

Cuisse – protecting the length of the thighs.

Poleyn – knee protector linking cuisse and greave

Greave – lower leg (shin) protector.

Sabaton – foot protector.

Arming jacket – a padded jacket often fitted with chain mail to protect exposed areas, onto which the plate armour is tied using tassets.

Arming braes – padded shorts worn beneath armour, onto which the cuisse are tied with tassets. Often surmounted with a mail skirt to protect the groin and buttocks.

Sur-coat – worn over the breast plate and coloured to family heraldry patterns to identify the wearer on the battle field.